Mernda is to get a new ambulance station, ensuring paramedics can respond sooner to emergencies in the fast-growing suburb.
The state government announced last week it would use a $1.5 million growth area infrastructure grant to buy land for the new station.
Ambulance Services Minister Jill Hennessy said the funding paves the way for a new state-of-the-art station, which will give Ambulance Victoria the facilities it needs to operate a dedicated Mernda ambulance crew.
The suburb is currently served by crews from Epping, Whittlesea and Diamond Creek.
Over the next 20 years, Mernda’s population is estimated to soar by about 68 per cent, to 28,200 people.
The government will work with Ambulance Victoria to identify the best location for the station, but it has not said yet when the station will be built.
The station will feature an ambulance garage, training areas, rest and recline rooms and a fully-fitted kitchen.
Ms Hennessy said the new station would meet an increasing demand for ambulance services in the Whittlesea area.
“We know we need to invest now to meet the health care needs of the rapidly growing communities in Melbourne’s north, such as Mernda, and we’re getting it done,” she said.
“Work now gets under way to locate the best possible site.”
Yan Yean MP Danielle Green, who has been lobbying the government to build an ambulance station at Mernda, said the area has one of the fastest growing communities in Australia and deserved its own ambulance crew and station.
